Hermann lord sanborn



(No Model.)

H. L. SANBORN. PHONOGRAPH.

N0. 517,072. Patented Mar. 27,1894.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I HERMANN LORD SANBORN, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO AUGUSTA L. SANBORN, OF SAME PLACE.

PHONOGRAPH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 517,072, dated March27, 1894.

App at n filed August 19, 1893- Serial No. 483,561- (No model.)

1'0 all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERMANN LORD SAN- BORN, residing in the city ofBrooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented a newand useful Improvement in Phonographs, (for which I have obtained noforeign Letters Patent whatever,) of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in phonographs in which thediaphragm and needle are held in a movable arm forming part of acarriage and traversing the length of the cylinder. I

The objects of my improvements are, to provide means, first, forautomatically and at once setting the machinein motion by closing themotor circuit when the arm, diaphragm and needle are lowered and thecontact of the latter with the cylinder is efiected; second, forautomatically and at once stopping the entire machine by opening themotor circuit in raising the arm carrying the diaphragm and needle, and,third, for automatically opening the motor circuit by the action of themachine itself or its own parts and thereby stopping the entire machineat or near the end of the cylinder and the limit of the motion of thearm, diaphragm and needle. I attain these objects by the mechanismillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 isa topview. Fig. 2 is an end and part sectional view; and Figs. 3 and 4 aredetail views, in part in section.

Similar letters relate to similar parts throughout the several views. 1

F is the frame of the machine shown in section in Fig. 2.

A is the usual arm carrying the diaphragm and needle.

P is the ordinary drop lever or finger piece, or its equivalent, throughwhich the arm is supported on or by the sliding rest It, with the needlein or out of contact, as the case may be.

R is the slide rest, which has heretofore been made of metal. I make theslide rest R in two pieces, R and R the first composed of non-conductingmaterial, the other of conducting material. With this slide rest theinner end of the bent lever finger piece makes contact in either one oftwo positions, one circuit making, the other circuitbreaking. The part Bof the slide rest It made of metal is connected with or in an electricalcircuit C, which operates the phonograph.

In Fig. 1 the circuit C is shown with its battery or source ofelectricity and in its proper relation to the slide-rest R andphonograph arm A, and also to-a motor shaft T which may be considered asrepresenting the motor shaft of the machine although not shown asco-ordinated therewith.

R is made of hard rubber, or of any other non-conducting material. Thedrop lever or finger piece P is also in circuit, as shown in Fig. 4, andbecomes a key for opening or closing the motor circuit C.

If desired, instead of making a portion of the slide rest R ofinsulating material, the insulating material may be secured to the endof the finger piece P as shown at P in Fig. 4, the contact being in thatcase made above the rubber end, in which case the slide rest ,may bemade to consist of a bar of metal only, but in circuit. The finger pieceP becomes, in

fact, a key for opening and closing the circuit automatically as thediaphragm arm A is manipulated, and will support the arm A in either ofthose positionson the slide rest B.

At the end of the conducting part B of the sliding rest-I place anon-conducting piece or bar It as a part of the slide rest. When thefinger piece P traverses the slide and reaches and rests upon R themotor circuit is automatically broken and the machine is automaticallystopped. On its front side the slide rest It is beveled, as shown inFigs. 2 and 3 in sectional view, and is provided with a scale S as shownin Fig. 1. The beveled shape of the scale S is not essential, as it mayhave any other suitable form. The phonograph arm carries a pointer 0 soplaced as to traverse the scale and indicate the position of the needleN. 4

The operation of the machine is as follows: When the finger piece is inthe position shown in Fig. 2 the circuit C is closed, through the slide.rest R, and the parts are in position for use, under the control of thecircuit 0. When the finger piece P, and the arm A with it, is lifted forany purpose so as to break the contact between the. metallic fingerpiece P and the slide rest R the circuit is broken and the machineinstantly stops, so that when lowered again and contact made, thephonograph will start at the point where it left off on raisin-g of thefinger piece P, without omitting any of the Writing on the cylinder orthe necessity of carrying the needle back and repeating. By raising thefinger piece P and droppingit with the arm A to the position shown inFig. 3, the metallic part or end of the finger piece P rests upon theinsulating material R and the machine will remain at rest, but injuxtaposition, the circuit being open. The circuit will also be keptopen when the finger piece P is constructed as shown in Fig. 4 and israised so that the part P rests upon the slide rest R. WVhen the fingerpiece P reaches or is made to rest upon the non-conducting part B of theslide rest R, the motor circuit is open and the machine is brought to orremains in a state of non-action. The fingerpiece P is practically, inone respect only the switch for opening and closing the motor circuit atwill, and the motor circuit does not necessarily have the usual or anyother switch for that purpose. As such it is attached or connected tothe phonograph or diaphragm arm in such a way as to be insulatedtherefrom and so related to the slide rest that either by lifting thephonograph arm,or by moving the finger piece so that its contact is madeonly with the non-conducting part of the slide rest, the motor circuitwill be opened, and so related that the circuit may be closed byreversing these motions of the arm or of the finger-piece at will. Thefinger-piece is so shaped and related to the arm and rest that themovement of it automatically raises or lowers the arm without theintervention of any other mechanism and the relations are also such thatthe lifting of the arm itself by itself and alone operates thefinger-piece considered as a switch, or the arm and finger-piecetogether considered as a switch. In fact, the arm itself becomes at willa switch for opening and closing the motor circuit. Consequently severalfunctions and operations heretofore performed separately by separatedevices are here performed byone new device and by one movement.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. A phonograph arm A supporting a diaphragm, and a drop lever or fingerpiece P in an electrical circuit, in combination with a slide-rest Itprovided with a non-conducting portion R and conducting part R 2. Aphonograph arm A supporting a diaphragm, and a drop lever or fingerpiece P in an electrical circuit, in combination with a slide-rest Rprovided with non-conducting portions R R and a conducting part B alsoin the electrical circuit.

8. In phonographs, a finger piece P in motor circuit C, in combinationwith a slide-rest R consisting of non-conducting parts and a conductingpart in circuit, substantially as shown and described.

4. A phonograph arm, a drop lever or finger piece secured thereto andlocated in the motor circuit of the phonograph as a circuit maker orbreaker at will, and the electric mtor circuit, in combination,substantially as shown and described.

5. A phonograph arm, a drop lever or finger piece secured thereto andlocated in an electric circuit, a diaphragm and needle supported by thearm, a slide-rest, a scale, a pointer and an electric phonograph motorcircuit, in combination, substantially as shown and described.

6. A phonograph arm provided with a bearing that makes contact with theslide-rest for the arm, which bearing is in the electric motor circuitof the phonograph, and a slide-rest also in the same electric motorcircuit, in combination.

7. A phonograph arm supporting a diaphragm, the slide-rest contact ofwhich is in the motor electric circuit of the phonograph in combinationwith a slide-rest provided with a conducting bar or part also in theelectrical motor circuit except at or near one end where it is not inthe electrical motor circuit, and with a non-conducting part orinsulated portion all of which is out of the electrical motor circuit.

8. A phonograph arm supporting a diaphragm, the slide-rest contact ofwhich is in the motor electrical circuit of the phonograph, incombination with a slide-rest provided with a conducting bar or partalso in the electrical motor circuit, and with a non-conducting part orinsulated portion.

HERMANN LORD SANBORN.

Witnesses:

EDWARD S. BERRALL, JAMES A. SKILToN.

